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Theismann Doesn’t Think Shanahan Should be Fired

Mike Shanahan walks off the field following an abysmal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. (credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – Joe Theismann is one of the few former Redskins still with close ties to the organization who believes Mike Shanahan should still be the head coach in 2014, or at least who’s been vocal about it.

Theismann took his opinion to the airwaves on 106.7 The Fan’s Holden and Danny on Thursday, asserting his belief that Shanahan was 100 percent honest in saying the decision to bench Robert Griffin III was an organizational decision, not a Shanahan decision imposed on the organization.

“Here, for one reason or another, and a lot of it has to do with losing, is we have just made change after change after change, and I don’t think you can be successful when you constantly change a situation,” Theismann said.

“Now, you’re gonna think I’m totally nuts,” he stated. “But everybody says ‘Fire Mike Shanahan. Fire Mike Shanahan.’ I don’t agree with that. I think it’s time we bit the bullet and say ‘Okay, Mike has another year left on his contract. We’re gonna have $40 million in cap room a year from now.”

The possibility that Shanahan would deliberately push Dan Snyder’s buttons with the intention of getting fired, paid off, and free from the final year of his contract is beyond Theismann.

“And to me it’s, Mike is making a decision – an organizational decision – not a decision for Mike Shanahan, but a decision for the Washington Redskins and for Robert Griffin III, for this football team to go forward,” he said. “Because oddly enough, the game of football and the Washington Redskins as a football team will not stop existing after this year. But you have to be able to sort of allow the transition to occur.

“I think it is absurd and I would love to sit down with the person that said that,” Theismann said. “I can’t stand, listen you guys know me well enough, if I say something stupid, my name’s attached to it. If I make a statement, my name is attached. I think that’s irresponsible reporting when somebody says ‘Mike Shanahan a couple years ago was thinking about leaving.’”

“Let’s think about that for a second, first of all,” he continued. “He makes $7 million a year. You’re telling me that a man’s gonna walk away from $14 million, after he invested so much time, energy and effort, and blood, sweat and tears into trying to get this football team , rid of some of the guys that shouldn’t be on the team anyway, and turn it around.”